New Ground
by grimorie
Summary: Months after Norway, Rose is moving on and letting go
1. Chapter 1

I.

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_Rose dreams of red-gold star fields, running for her life and the familiar feeling of another hand in hers_

_------_

It started one morning with the insistent beeping staccato of the alarm clock, dragging Rose from dreams of red-gold star fields, running for her life and the familiar feeling of another hand in hers. She rolled around and flung an arm out to shut off the clock and clung on to the images in her head as long as she could until the images faded into the white ceiling of her room. Rose stayed there for a moment, counting to fifty, listening to sounds of activity around the house. She was never a morning person. After sighing, she decided she might as well get up and prepared to dress.

"You've got to eat more than just cereals, sweetheart," Jackie said the moment Rose appeared in the kitchen.

Jackie was wearing a silk robe over her nightclothes, the material stretched over her stomach, six months gone. Rose smiled at her, married life and a baby on the way suits Jackie, she's all pink cheeked and all the lines she had from worry and loneliness are softened.

"Lived on toasts before," Rose nodded to Jackie's belly, grabbing a toast and spreading jam on it. "How's the baby?"

Jackie beamed. "Doin' pretty well, can already tell she'll be as spry as you."

Rose looked around for Pete; he was usually all over Jackie in the morning, cooing over her. It was nauseating and cute at the same time. One of the maids bustled by, she's been here for months and it was still something to get used to. She waited a few more seconds and finally asked, "Pete left already?"

"Said he had a business meeting." Jackie said, putting another slice of toast on her plate then added, with a bit of reproach, "You could call him 'dad', you know. You used to."

Rose pulled the newspaper from under the plates, brushed breadcrumbs off it and read the headlines. Nothing unusual: lobbies against company monopolies, a mention of Vitex and something about a Mr. Saxon. She chewed on her bread before saying, "Torchwood?"

Jackie made a face. She's still not forgiven the other Torchwood. "His real job, Vitex Industries."

Rose grinned at the note of wonder and pride she heard. Jackie never had the opportunity to see her Pete flourish this way but she also didn't know Rose's real father died a hero, saving the world. She polished off her meal with three bites. "Must be going myself," she said, grabbing her keys and bussing Jackie's cheek. "See ya later, mum."

"Be home for supper!" Jackie called behind her. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

When Pete presented her the keys to the black BMW Rose regarded it with equal parts happiness and wariness, and after the initial euphoria cleared, she had tried to turn it down. He'd already provided so much for them.

"It's just a car," was Pete's reply. "I've a whole fleet of them, so you might as well use one."

Put that way Rose wasn't daft enough to say 'no' again. For Pete buying a car was as trivial as buying a new suit. Apparently he was richer than he was when she was here last. Amazing considering the war and the money he must have put in Torchwood. After Cybus Industries crashed and the Government repossessed almost all of John Lumic's fortune, Pete absorbed most of Cybus into Vitex Industries. He'd been on the brink of bankruptcy himself not counting all the bad press, mistrust and lawsuits he'd had to contend with.

"You're a chip off the old block, you are, Pete's not one to give up too," Mickey told her during her first days adjusting to the idea of living on this Earth. He told Rose how Pete kept on fighting to reestablish his credentials and finally cemented his legacy in the war by taking hold of Torchwood Institute from the misguided fools who ran it once Torchwood's projects became public and brought the Preachers in.

Pete also helped her establish her credentials, calling in favors from the government and Torchwood as tabloids suddenly took notice of the other blonde with the newly found Jackie Tyler whom everyone thought was dead. Rose was the only one who needed papers. The only Rose Tyler that existed in this world was a furry dog Pete's Jackie had adopted. Jackie, her mum, took one look at the dog and sneered at it. "You two had this yappy dog instead of a daughter?" Jackie had asked Pete.

It was a wonder the dog was still around, considering the war and the years in between that, yapping its way around the house, Jackie had gotten used to the dog but to Rose's relief hadn't even once referred to it as 'Rose'.

Torchwood and the government came through but not after some ceremony or other. Apparently the People's Republic of Great Britain ('Since when was Britain a republic?' Jackie asked before Pete could 'shhhh' her) like Her Majesty's Government back home loved giving people medals. The lot of them received medals for 'exemplary courage and bravery in service of humanity', for all the good that would do them since they were not allowed to wear the medals outside of 10 Downing Street. The mission, they were informed, was now classified as 'Most Secret'.

President Harriet Jones pinned the medals on the lapels of their best clothes and Rose found she had to bite her tongue and keep her hands to her sides to keep from saying more than a hello and tackle this Harriet Jones in an embrace.

"Blimey, she's a prime minister here too!" Jackie had whispered beside her.

"President, mum," she reminded her, but Jackie wasn't listening, too awed that she was in 10 Downing to do anything other than gape and take photos.

Rose grinned and turned to study the President. Harriet Jones was the same and yet so different from the one she knew. She looked harder and grimmer, but it wasn't any wonder. Rose learned Harriet Jones was a wartime president, a woman who rose to the occasion when she found herself the only cabinet member spared from the horrific Cybermen culling. Her leadership kept the Republic together and when it came time to re-establish the government, the people's choice was unanimous.

Rose remembered Harriet Jones, MP from Flydale North had had a mother and wondered what happened to this Harriet Jones's mother.

For one instant, Rose was glad the Doctor wasn't here because she was sure he would not have liked President Harriet Jones' methods and he'd already almost broken Prime Minister Harriet Jones' government back home. She didn't think this Britain could do without a Harriet Jones.

Still, Rose was surprised to find Harriet Jones standing before her. Before she could blink President Jones whipped out an identification card and said, "Hello, I think we haven't met yet. I'm Harriet Jones, President."

Rose grinned at the familiarity of those words. "Hello, President Harriet Jones."

"I would just like to give my deepest thanks to you and for your service; without your sacrifice this world would have fallen to ruin."

"It wasn't really me-"

"Ms. Tyler," President Jones said sternly, "Accept the compliment."

"I-- thank you, ma'am."

Harriet Jones smiled at her, "That's better." Then she gestured to her aide, who approached her and handed Rose a packet. "I think your father requested these."

She looked through the brown packet and found her newly minted papers, authenticated by the President of the People's Republic of Great Britain. Rose looked up at Harriet Jones to thank her but she had already moved on, greeting and shaking hands.

It took some time before Rose knew what to do with herself. The days passed into weeks and she finally realized she had to do something until the Doctor found his way through the void, if ever. She and Pete talked about her prospects until the wee hours of the night. She noticed he twitched everytime she called him dad. He offered her a job at Vitex and it appealed to Rose for all of five minutes. She knew next to nothing about running a business and then he'd mentioned Torchwood.

She was reluctant to join. It was hard not to feel suspicious of an organization that was instrumental in the arrival of the Cybermen, but she was bored of just hanging about the mansion and staring at the yapping dog. So, when Torchwood London finally reopened its doors Rose shrugged her shoulders and reported to the personnel department.

Rose had, eventually, come to the conclusion the Torchwood in her world meant well, they really did, and Yvonne seemed to have been competent in her work (despite Jackie's claims to the contrary) if in a bit misguided way. Although if Jackie's story was to be believed the blame fell solely at her and the Doctor's feet. They were the reason Torchwood was established in the first place. But if there was one thing Rose learned it was that if something was meant to happen it would happen. She hadn't existed in this world and she was certain the Doctor in this universe had not survived the Time War. This parallel Torchwood was created by other means and other reasons but their purpose remained the same.

Rose had gone only for the sole purpose of talking to the Torchwood people, nothing more. Exploratory talks if you will. David, the head of personnel, studied her from head to foot and recommended a complete change in wardrobe. Since all she'd brought with her were the clothes on her back and a few gadgets and trinkets that fit in her pocket, it wasn't hard. Still Rose had to ask. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Doesn't say professional," David said, eyeing Rose with a disinterested clinical eye. "It says 'window dressing' rather than Torchwood."

Rose looked down at her red shirt and jean jacket. She'd grant the professional part. "I thought we were going for inconspicuous?"

"Still, your clothes are a bit flash."

Rose looked at her jeans and shirt again. Nobody had ever called her jeans and shirt a bit flash. Must be the reds. So she became less prone to wearing denim and shirts. It was a bit strange at first, but eventually she got used to it. Now she'd taken to wearing dark suits and less mascara. When she looked into the mirror, sometimes she didn't know who the woman staring back at her was.

She didn't know who Rose Tyler was any more. Her old life was gone, dead amongst the rubble in the other Canary Wharf. She once defined herself by who she was with and who she took care of: Jackie Tyler's daughter, Mickey's girlfriend, the Doctor's plus one. Now she wasn't any of those things.

In this world she wasn't even her father's daughter.

Her only consolation were her trainers-- black, sensible ones but trainers nonetheless. Nothing beat trainers when running for your life - that is, if she'd ever have that opportunity at all again. But her department head, Ianto Jones, had other ideas. First day on the job he gave her a desk, business cards and a title of analyst.

"Not field operations like Mickey?"

Ianto looked up from his papers. "Let's see after three months."

But Rose was familiar with that look. He wasn't impressed with her and the fact that she was the 'daughter' of Pete Tyler meant nothing to him. She sat on her desk and resigned herself to her fate cataloguing the files that ended up on her desk, which never seemed to lessen or disappear. She ignored the itch at the base of her skull, the voice that shouted for something and that feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was another life far from the stars and the danger. It wasn't the life she'd chosen but it would do. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The office was empty when Rose arrived and she remembered Mickey and Jake were out scouting. There was the usual pile of paperwork stacked neatly in a pile on her IN tray, where Rose had left it almost empty last night. Everyday she worked over the files and every morning new files kept on arriving. It was like Christmas morning, only not.

Her office was a communal workspace she shared with Mickey and Jake and divided by cubicles, giving the pretense of privacy. If Rose was in any way claustrophobic the whole place would have sent her clawing at the walls. Mickey jokingly called their office the Void and it fit. It was closed off from the other departments, away from sunlight and windows and surrounded by bright fluorescent lights that turned her skin yellow under the glare. It was almost as good as being stuck in a basement, tucked away from the rest of Torchwood-- the renegade rebels called Preachers and a girl they'd rather forget existed.

Rose suspected it was her Torchwood wanted to forget, not Mickey and Jake; they were, after all, heroes of the war. They had a certain cachet because of that, but the war's been over for years and all the old soldiers are either retired or absorbed into the system. Mickey and Jake remained because they were Mickey Smith and Jake Simmonds, heroes.

She took off her jacket hung it on the coat rack and set right to the reports. She paged through each of them, marking down notes on her computer. The reports were the usual kind: photos of alien looking equipment that most likely were just some hi-tech toothbrush, alien sightings with only 5 ever ending up as the genuine sort of alien-aliens and more often than not, already catalogued by UNIT.

By the time mid-morning rolled by Mickey strode in in his black khakis and jacket, looking wind blown. A good look on him, Rose decided a long time ago.

"How you doin', babe?"

Rose raised a folder, "Chained to the desk, still."

"Should've come with Jake and me."

She eyed him. "Found anything?"

Mickey tossed his rucksack on his desk. "Not a single thing, Torchwood Three has better luck finding alien junk." He shot her a look. "Still better than sitting in this place the whole day."

She gestured to the paperwork. "Someone should be doing this."

"Yeah, the assistant, Anna."

"Yeah, because that'll be so helpful!"

Jake walked in, carrying his own equipment. He greeted her around a yawn. "Tyler."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "What time did you two set out?"

"Sometime around two a.m."

"And you wanted me to join you. At least I had a full night's rest in my big, warm bed."

"Shared pain," Mickey said with a lopsided smile.

Rose snorted and threw a crumpled paper at him. "Oh, go on to your debriefing."

"C'mon, Mickey," Jake draped an arm around Mickey's neck, "Lady wants her privacy so she can view more porn."

"Oi!" she said, indignant, throwing another piece of crumpled paper but Jake ducked it. Mickey rolled his eyes and allowed himself to be dragged out. Chuckling, Rose returned her attention to her work. With her head bent reading another file, she missed the look Mickey gave her before he left.


	2. Chapter 2

II.

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_Time heals all wounds_

_------------------_

The sitting around always got to Rose. Even after all these months she's still not used to the easy pace, the quiet. It will take time getting used to waking to one timeline again, to looking at the stars and realizing she couldn't just pick a planet, to be confined by gravity and the rules of time. Rose liked to think it was just time lag. It will go away but it will take time.

Time heals all wounds.

She's moving on and letting go and accepted the world beyond the Void can never be crossed again. Rose has seen what keeping still and holding on could lead to and she'll never let herself become another Cassandra. She burrowed her hands into her jacket pockets, not even minding the smell of cigarette smoke. Rose looked up at the sky, overcast and gray. Pete told her months ago that it wasn't always this cold; before the breach closed Earth was getting warmer, boiling itself into Armageddon way before its time but the Earth's healing itself, clearing over the boil with a cold front, moving on.

Four zeppelins danced overhead, a small village in itself. Uppers, the natives called it, looking down on those who lived below. Another class divide, another indication this world was not as perfect as she first thought it was.

"Well, well, Tyler." Rose frowned and glanced at Tommy Duran - good looking, lean and dark haired. Rose might've fancied him if he wasn't such a prat. "Shouldn't an heiress like you be up one of those?"

"Duran," she said with a sigh and noticed some of the crowd of smokers thin as they moved away and even left.

Duran noticed the exodus and smirked. "Tell you what, seeing we'll be alone in a few seconds, let's do something useful with our time."

"My answer is the same as the last time, Duran," she glared. "Because if you don't mind bruising your other cheek, I also won't mind bruising my other hand."

"I knew you liked it rough." His smirk grew and then he blew smoke at her.

She stepped back and refrained, barely, from clocking him. He wasn't worth getting a black mark in her records for. "How the hell do you manage to dodge sexual harassment complaints?"

"It's 'cause I'm too bloody good at my job." Rose wished it was Duran just being Duran , but unfortunately he was a brilliant scientist, one of the leading minds who developed the dimensional travel device or as Rose liked to call it, the big yellow button.

"Wait and see, princess," Duran said with a wink that was enough to bring out a disgusted expression from Rose, "I'll even be richer than your dad, get to be an upper myself and get the hell out of this sink hole. I'll be the next John Lumic."

"What, homicidal and crazy?"

Duran let out a sharp bark of laughter. "Funny."

Before Rose could say anything she would regret the door banged open. Rose tilted her head and saw Hinds, Duran's boss, join them. Hinds' hair was turned up at odd angles, his clothes in disarray.

"Looks like the boss had a few bottles," Duran said with a derisive snort.

"Oh, shut it would you?" she said, irritated. Hinds always projected the absent-minded scientist vibe but he was always neat about it.

"What, don't tell me you and him? If I knew you like them old--"

"Finish that sentence, Duran," she hissed, rounding on him, "and I will make your life a living hell!"

Duran snorts, "What, are you going to run to daddy?"

She wasn't going to - she never liked using her relationship with Pete - but he didn't need to know that. "Do you really want to know?"

He tossed his cigarette into the bin and glowered at her. "We all know why you're here - too stupid to get a job so daddy had to pull strings."

He huffed away before she could respond. Good riddance to bad garbage. Rose turned and found Hinds looking out, his face creased with a dozen worries. Rose knew a little something about him. They were the only two non-smokers who kept insisting on coming here. She'd learned from their brief, stilted conversation about his daughter, Marie, diagnosed with cancer.

It didn't strike Rose as fair that Marie survived the war only to suffer through a disease humanity was still years off in finding a cure. It was also too personal a death. She's seen so much death, it had always been fast, the death's she's seen, not this slow burn that ate not only the person afflicted but the whole family as well.

Rose approached him. "Hinds, you alright?"

He jerked, startled, "Miss Tyler, I didn't see you."

"It's alright," she assured him. "You looked preoccupied."

He didn't reply, just kept on frowning at the pavement.

"How's Marie?" Rose asked gently.

"She's worse." He said in a dull tone. "All the alien equipment in the world and I can't even take it out to save my own daughter."

The bitterness in his tone made Rose shift uncomfortably. "I know, they can be really hard cases when it comes to these things. Can't you bring her here?"

"No," he said, shoulders sloping down, grief hung around him like a cloud. Rose wished she could do more than stand around and listen to his grief. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"There you are," Mickey's voice drifted behind her, "We're done with the debriefing with the berk, Jake an' me are heading out for lunch."

Rose hesitated but there was nothing she could do, this was Hinds' grief. Jake appeared from over Mickey's shoulder and started clapping his hands. "Chop, chop, Tyler I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Jake." She gave Hinds one last look before Mickey and Jake caught her arm and dragged her out to hunt for food. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Duran returned to his workstation, pissed. As far as he was concerned, the whole bloody human race owed him. If it wasn't for him the Cybermen would still be around but what did he get in return? A promotion to second instead of head and a reminder of the Official Secrets Act document he signed when he joined Torchwood.

His mobile rang, and he swiped it off the table. Another thing he has to get used to, a world without earpods. What the hell kind of life was that?

"Duran."

"_Mr. Duran._"

Duran froze, eyes darting around the department but the section was deserted. "I told you not to call me here!"

"_Our employer would like to see the equipment you promised._"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll deliver like I said it's a bit hard with all the security-"

"_He is not interested in your excuses, Mr. Duran, only that you deliver it and wants to see it tonight._"

"Tonight?!" he exclaimed, then lowered his voice again. "Do you know how bloody impossible that is?"

"_If you cannot deliver with your promise..._"

"I always deliver!"

"_Then, I'll see you tonight with the instrument._" The line disconnected, and he stared at his phone. Dammit, he didn't know they'd be demanding so soon. It just means he has to take more... drastic measures.

"Anything the matter, Tom?"

He jumped. "Hinds, when did you get in?"

"Just now," Hinds shrugged, "Why?"

"Nothing." He said, pushing back a few schematics. Hinds nodded at him, looking like utter crap and the most miserable soul in London - and this was what they passed him over for? - went back to his office as clueless as the others. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Rose."

"Hmm?" she said absently, before looking up to find Pete standing by the doorway, "Are you on your way home?"

She blinked and looked at the watch. "I didn't know it was that late."

"Almost everyone in the building thinks that."

"I haven't seen you the whole day." They almost never see each other, they were in different departments and he was trying to be more hands off with Torchwood these days.

"I was off at Vitex. Board meeting, I only got back to Torchwood." He shifted to another foot, "Your mother called, insisted I talk you into coming home early since she has a meal prepared for us."

"Why didn't she just call me instead?"

"She said you might make excuses, at least if I'm here to make sure to see you off, you'll go."

Rose smiled. "Well, that makes sense."

"Then, you'll be going home now?"

There was a pile of files still needed perusing but Pete was looking at her in a patient way that meant he wasn't leaving until she budged. "Yeah, I suppose I am now."

"Good," he said, "I'll just get something from my office and we can take my car together."

"I brought my car."

"I'll just let the chauffer drive it."

She sighed. "All right."

"Meet you downstairs."

She nodded and proceeded to shut her computer down. Jake wandered in and eyed her. "What's this? Rose Tyler actually going home early?"

"It's not that rare a phenomenon," she said in exasperation.

"Yes, it is!" Jake retorted and poked his head in Mickey's cubicle. "Mickey, c'mere, Rose is actually leaving early."

"I don't think six thirty constitutes anything special." Rose heard footsteps and a second later Mickey appeared.

"Is there some sort of catastrophe? World ending?"

"Oh, would you two come off it? Mum just wanted me home early. She had Pete come over to call me home." Rose shelved the last of her files. "Look, it's nothing special."

"So you say." Mickey mocked.

"You work late too, do I mock you?"

"See that's the part of our eccentric charm, Preachers out saving the world," Jake said at the same time Mickey said: "We don't work, we play video games."

She stared at them. "Is that why you two stay here so late? To build up your street cred so you can get lucky with some girls?"

"And blokes," Jake put-in.

"Well, you two are a pair," Rose said, rolling her eyes, "C'mon, why don't we shock everyone in Torchwood and leave early."

"Not a bad idea," Jake grinned, "Lemme just save - er, shut down my computer."

"I'll be doing the same." Mickey said, rushing away.

Boys, really. Even the Doctor was the same. Rose went down and headed for the lobby, waiting for Pete and the boys. Rummaging in her bag, she realized she'd left her book in her car and made her way to the parking lot.

A car door opened not far away and Jeffrey, Pete's chauffeur got out. "Ma'am, Mr. Tyler said I should drive your car back to the mansion?"

"Just going to get something, Jeffrey, I'll give you the keys after I get it."

"Yes, ma'am."

Just as she's about to enter her car a loud, terrifying bang filled the immediate area, shaking the ground so hard it almost threw her off her feet. Rose held on to the edges of her car door--instincts taking over as the flash of fire burned up in a pillar. She pulled Jeffrey down as a second, equally surprising, explosion hit, shaking the foundations of the Torchwood Tower.

To her horror the fifth and eight floors were burning; the steel blast doors barely came down. Oh God, oh God, oh God. Pete, Mickey and Jake were still in the building.

"Call an ambulance!" she ordered Jeffrey. "And for God's sake stay here!"

There was debris everywhere, people scattered in the confusion. Rose ran through them, too fast to be stopped and nearly went weak kneed when she spotted Mickey and Jake.

But not Pete.

"Have you seen Pete?" she demanded, grabbing Jake's arm.

"No," Jake answered, dazed. There was dirt on his cheek and a bruise.

"He wasn't with us," Mickey told her. Her eyes widened at the blood gushing from a cut above his eye.

"Your eye!"

He ducked from her hand. "I'm alright, looks worse than it is."

Rose turned and shouted for a medic. Jeffrey must have already called because a medic came forward there were also firefighters seemingly coming out of the woodwork. Satisfied Mickey and Jake were in good hands Rose proceeded to rush away but Jake saw her move and grabbed her hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Pete's still in there!" She gestured to the lobby, smoke filled and debris laden.

"Are you mad?"

She didn't have time to explain, every second that went by might mean Pete's death. She'd seen him die twice already and both times nearly killed her. She wasn't going to let that happen again, not if she could help it.

"I'm sorry," she said. Jake looked at her, confused, before she kicked him on the shin. He let out a pained yelp. Rose tugged, danced away from Mickey's hands. There were some people staggering away from the lobby doors, some firefighters entering with either a hose or an axe.

Rose removed her jacket and covered her face with it, grabbing the first fire extinguisher she saw and running forward to the fire. Smoke immediately stung her eyes but she kept on, shouting for Pete. What if he's in one of the upper floors? What if he never made it down? What if--? No. Rose crushed all the possibilities. She couldn''t think like that.

Her heart stopped when she saw a prone body on the floor. Rose ran forward, heart in her throat and knelt beside it, turning it over. A rush of relief flooded through her: it wasn't Pete. Guilt replaced the relief and Rose pulled at the man's arms, bringing him up.

"Medic!" she shouted again.

A firefighter appeared out of the smoke. "You should leave now, Miss Tyler!"

He took the man from her, carrying him on his shoulder. Rose coughed, tied the coat more firmly around her face and pulled away. "I have to find Pete!"

She stumbled into two more bodies. This time Rose can't do anything for them: they're both dead. It was getting harder to see and the jacket could only do so much. She turned around, looking hopelessly, too much rubble then she sees a hand and-

"Dad!" She rushed to him, heart pounding. His leg was on fire. Rose sprayed the white foam at it and kept on until it died down. She knelt beside him. "Dad-- Pete, it's me."

He blinked at her. "Rose?"

A laugh of pure relief bubbled from her. "Yeah, yeah it's me. He's here! Pete's here! Are you alright? Anything broken?"

"My arm," Pete said faintly.

The firefighter from earlier appeared at her elbow and proceeded to lift Pete out. "We must go now, Miss Tyler!"

"No argument from me!" she laughs, helping Pete up with one shoulder and praying she isn't inflicting any more damage to his wounds as the firefighter took Pete's other arm. They don't hesitate, barrelling through the smoke and the debris. The moment they stepped out the door the emergency services appeared, putting Pete on a gurney. Rose kept close but had to let go when she went on a coughing fit off her own. She threw down the jacket as she doubled over. Medics came at her waving oxygen masks, which she gratefully accepted but batted away the other medic who kept insisting on getting her pulse.

"No, my dad, Pete," she said in between coughs. "Check on him!"

"We are, miss!" the medic explained, grabbing for her wrist again, "Now let us check on you."

"There you are!" Jake said, scrambling forward glaring.

"Dammit, Rose, don't ever do that again!" Mickey looked murderous.

"Yeah, 'cause next time I'll kick back," Jake threatened, "Don't think I won't!"

"How is he?" Mickey asked as soon as he saw Pete.

Rose batted the medic's hand away again and took off the oxygen mask. "I don't know, yet."

"You're cleared, miss," the medic declared, quite possibly out of annoyance, leaving her the oxygen bottle.

She felt grimy and in need of a wash. She frowned when Mickey wouldn't stop glaring. "What?"

"You can't just go swanning off the way you do."

"I wasn't swanning off, I was trying to save Pete!"

If any, Mickey's glare deepened, "An' what would happen if you died in there? You don't have the D--"

"Oh, for God's sake it wasn't even about that I was just--"

"Runnin' off to save your dad! Without back-up!" he thundered. "What would I tell Jackie if you'd died in there?"

She was about to fire off an angry retort when Pete's gurney wheeled past. "It's a moot point, I'm alive," she said as she reached out and squeezed his arm. "Jake, get him to sit down, will you?"

"Where are you going now?" Jake groaned, pulling Mickey back.

"With Pete."

"Never mind us, then," he said. She looked at Mickey.

He looked back but his angry scowl smoothed into something like resignation. He nodded. "Go."

Rose was off before the word 'go' passed Mickey's lips. She dodged the people blocking her path and took the opportunity to dig into her pocket and fish out her phone. She could see news vans lining up across the street, but Jackie didn't watch the news and learning from another source would be too cruel. Running and dodging and speaking on the phone was familiar. It's almost enough to make her heartsick.

God, she was morbid.

"_Yes, what is it?_"

"Mum!" Rose said in a breathless rush, finally catching up to the medics.

"_Rose, what's wrong?_"

"Mum! There's been an accident--"

There was a gasp over the line and before Jackie could work herself into hysterics Rose told her about the bombing and Pete's condition - omitting her part in his rescue. "He's being flown in," she added when the medics pushed Pete's gurney to a helicopter.

"_I'm on my way!_"

Rose scrambled forward, caught her father's hand as the medics speed walked to the helicopter, "I'll see you--"

"Tyler!" a voice barked out. She turned her head and saw Ianto. His coat was off and his shirt was dirty. He gestured to her. "We need all the hands available!"

The fires were under control but so many people were injured and more were still missing. Rose hesitated, torn between duty and love.

She looked down at Pete then back to the chaos. "_Rose?_"

"Change of plans," she said stopping in her tracks. She felt Pete's hand slip away as the emergency crew stacked him on the helicopter.

One crewmember turned to her. "Miss?"

"I won't be coming." Rose informed him.

"_What?_"

Then to the phone: "Mum, I won't be along. I still have things to do. I'll see you in the hospital."

Before she could change her mind, Rose shut her phone and ran to the crowd.


	3. Chapter 3

III.

-------------------

_Best place to learn being a secret agent, innit?_

_------------------_

It was three am and Rose had been running around nonstop. She was tired and hungry and wired. She'd helped find more injured personnel and block off a good portion of the building from the press lurking around like vultures. She was also soaked as a light rain poured over them. By the time they were called into the drab olive green tent she was about ready to fall flat on her face. The Tower was under quarantine with all sorts of mounted police and security services wandering about.

Jake was already there, clutching a tin cup. Rose stood on tiptoes and saw a small corner laden with food. She pushed her way in and snatched what looked like bread and splashed anemic coffee on a tin cup.

"Where's Mickey?" she asked, wiggling her way to Jake.

"And a pleasant morning to you too, Tyler." Jake said, annoyingly cheerful. "He's out there somewhere talking to some techs."

"Shouldn't you be more cranky?" Rose muttered and eyed her bread dolefully. She could eat protein whatchamcallits all live long day but she drew the line at soggy things masquerading as bread. "You're the one who hasn't slept in 24 hours."

"I was - but then I had five cups of these energizers," he raised his cup, "and now I'm as spry as a bunny."

Rose chose to ignore that imagery and shifted as the tent became even more cramped. She looked around and spotted three men in tactical uniform talking to Ianto. She prodded Jake. "Those blokes operatives?"

"Nope. They're the Box," Jake informed her shaking his head like a wet dog. She stared at him blankly until he added, "Y'know, security services? MI5, the Five, homeland--"

She interrupted him before he went on. "You've been watching those movies again, haven't you?"

"Best place to learn being a secret agent, innit?"

"Don't tell me that's how you and Ricky started the Preachers."

The smirk he flashed her was a hundred percent smug. "It's the only way to start anything cool."

Rose rolled her eyes.

Ianto moved away from the MI5 blokes and went to the creaky wooden table. It looked ready to collapse with all the binders, laptops and blueprints strewn across it. Rose's heart sank when she realized the people in the tent, barring the few wandering around the Tower, were all that remained of Torchwood.

She didn't see the deputy director or any of the senior staff. In fact the only senior Rose could see was Ianto. Rose couldn't think of a more horrible way get promoted. Ianto looked like he didn't appreciate his promotion as well. He was usually so put together too. Now he looked as scruffy as the rest of them.

"What have we been telling the press?" Ianto said without preamble.

"We've issued the standard statement," a voice down the table said. "Terrorist bombing, not the Cybermen, etcetera."

Ianto pressed the heel of his palm to his left eye. "I'd be more reassured if we knew for sure." Someone passed a folder to Ianto, and he opened it one handed. "We have to do this thing fast. Andrews put together a team to do an initial investigation. I want to know what caused the explosions, why it happened and who or what was responsible."

Rose stood on tiptoes and saw Andrews, a big block of a man with ginger hair and graying temples, nod from across the table. Ianto continued reeling off instructions to different departments. Some tasks he was forced to give to three groups twice when they learned most people in a department were still MIA. She almost missed her assignment when she looked over to count how many Torchwood agents were still standing.

"Smith, Tyler, Simmonds, I want you three to make an inventory of everything's that's gone missing. Even if it's a pencil, I want to know about it."

Rose blinked before nodding. "Right, of course."

"Everyone clear with their assignments?" There was general nodding. Ianto looked around, solemn. He pulled a clipboard from under a blueprint and cleared his throat. "I've the list of names of the missing and dead."

No sooner were the words out of Ianto's mouth that a blanket of silence covered the tent. Rose could hear the rain bearing down on the canvas; the quiet ambient sounds of cars and people outside the tent; and the feel of elbows poking her ribs as everyone pushed in closer to hear Ianto as he began reciting the names the dead, the missing... colleagues and friends. People Rose saw everyday but barely knew.

She'd been in Torchwood for six months and besides a handful all the names Ianto reeled off were strangers.

"...Seth and dela Cruz. Those are the names so far," he said, voice drifting into silence. The solemn quiet was unexpectedly broken by a shout and a figure running past. He jostled them out of the way and then all but threw a piece of paper to Ianto.

Angry muttering followed the interloper but Rose was focused on Ianto and watched his expression shift from irritation to anger. "We just had a caller," he announced then turned to Andrews. "Bring me Duran."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

**UNIT**

The room was dark save for the lights emanating from computer screens. Each analyst's face was bathed in blue light as they monitored the images satellites sent them.  
The United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, or simply UNIT, was the Earth's first and last defense against alien threats. Assisted by one exceptional man who, on the occasions he was available, saved the world. But it's been years, decades since they've last heard of him. There were whispers of his involvement at the beginning of the Cyber War but it was eventually deemed hearsay. If it had been him the war wouldn't have happened. Millions wouldn't have died.

So, no, it couldn't have been him.

In time they realized, after monitoring a cosmic anomaly that changed the fabric of five far off galaxies, the stuff of legends, the Time Lord may never come again.  
For the first time in a long while they were alone to fend for themselves. Between the Cyber War and the various alien incursions UNIT was stretched to the limit. Humanity itself was at the brink.

Major Henry Edwards surveyed the room and watched his monitor deliver minute by minute reports on the bombings in the Torchwood Tower and wondered what idiocy they had done now. Edwards knew it was a prejudiced view, especially since this new Torchwood was less prone to doing stupid things, like breaching dimensional barriers. But it was hard to let go of mistrust built by years of interagency rivalry.

A beeping alarm roused Edwards from his thoughts and he was off his chair even before he heard Tad shout, "Sir!"

"What is it?"

"The computers detected a signal coming from Torchwood--"

"What are those idiots up to now?" He knew it.

"I don't think they are aware, sir," Tad said, frowning at his bank of monitors. "The explosion earlier may've jostled an alien device."

"And what exactly does this signal do?" Edwards asked, to the point.

Tad looked down at one screen, his face bathed in blue light. "It's calling out, sir and something's responding."

"I can confirm," Sarah said, somewhere from behind. "It's big and it's coming to Earth."

Edwards stood straight, jaw working. "Can we contact the Brigadier or McShane?"

"Negative, sir they're out of range. The situation with the Yenoros was just coming to a head the last I checked."

Edwards frowned, glanced down at the monitors and came to a decision. "Call the President."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

An hour later, Rose finally managed to escape. Investigations could wait - she couldn't put off learning about her father any longer. She arrived at the hospital and found Jackie asleep, holding Pete's hand. Pete looked bruised but seemed none the worse for wear. Rose approached Jackie and gently shook her.

"Rose?" Jackie asked blearily.

"Yeah, mum," Rose said softly. "Do you want to move to the couch?"

Jackie stood in answer then pulled Rose into a hug. "Oh, Rose, when I saw him like that--"

"It's all right, mum," she said, softly. "Sorry I wasn't here."

"It's all right, least I knew you were safe."

"How is he?"

"The doctors said he was lucky - a few bruises, a broken arm but his leg's bad..."

"I know." He was lucky. The others Rose found... "You should sleep, mum," she said, gently. "Use the sofa, yeah? Can't have you giving birth here now, can we?"

Jackie nodded and yawned. "Time is it?"

"Six thirty," she said, without consulting her watch.

"You should be the one sleeping!" she chided.

"Can't, not yet, mum." Rose said, "I'm helping with the investigations, 'sides I'm used to staying awake--"

"With the Doctor." She knew how tired Jackie was then - there was no note of reproach in her voice when she said his name.

"Yeah, him." Rose guided Jackie to the sofa.

"D'you have any idea who it was?"

Rose knelt beside the couch, stroking Jackie's forehead, "Yeah, a traitorous bastard called Duran."

She was surprised when Jackie's grip on her arm tightened. "I don't want you going near him."

"Don't worry, mum," she assured her, "I'm not part of that particular investigation, I won't be anywhere near him."

"Good," Jackie murmured, "Good!"

Rose watched as she drifted off to sleep, then she rose and kissed Jackie on the cheek. She went to Pete, held his hand for a long time then leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "I won't let anything happen to you again."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Most of the debris was cleared away by the time Rose returned to Canary Wharf. The white Red Cross tents and the olive tent were still standing. She avoided the white tents, knowing the whole ground would be covered with body bags and peered in the olive tent instead. She was surprised to see it was empty except for the two people packing up.

"Where's everybody?" she asked the closer of the two.

"Some are in the lobby. I think the others are in basement level three. I think that's where they set up the HQ."

Rose looked at the building skeptically. "Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"Not according to the engineers."

"Right. Okay." Who was she to argue with engineers? Rose entered the building and wrinkled her nose at the smell of smoke mingling with soggy furniture and whatever chemical the firemen had used to stop the fire.

"Identification, Miss," the security guard asked. He must have been day shift because he looked too awake to be part of the crew who'd helped out last night.

She brought out her ID card and was surprised when the guard studied it intently. "If you please, Miss, come this way."

"Uh, why?"

"I was ordered to, Miss." They didn't go far. The guard swiped his card on the door and escorted her in to a hall she'd never been to before. It was in the same condition as the outside, only it smelled of mildew because of the damp carpets. Her trainers made squelching sounds with every step.

They stopped by another door. This time he only ushered her in; she entered and blinked. The room was darker but a window on the other side flooded the room with light. She looked around the room as her eyes got accustomed to the dim lights and startled stares met her gaze.

"What are you doing here?" one of the men demanded.

She didn't know but she didn't want them to know either. "What do you think?"

A movement from the other side of the window jerked Rose's attention and she nearly let out a curse. It was the greedy selfish, sexist bastard himself. Tommy Duran.

"How'd they get him?" she asked.

"Caught him packing," she heard someone answer. "The idiot actually resisted arrest."

"It's not me," Duran shouted from behind the two-way mirror, pulling at his handcuffs. "You have the wrong man! I didn't do it!"

Rose studied him. He was cuffed to the table and was now sporting two black eyes and an ugly bruise on his jaw. He destroyed so many lives in one night. He wanted to be like John Lumic.

The door in the other room opened and Andrews entered. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, face pinched into a murderous scowl. "You've a lot of nerve to lie, Duran." He slapped a file on the desk. "We have surveillance photos, phone records all saying the same thing-- you are a traitor, a liar and a mass murderer."

"I didn't set the bloody bomb!" Duran shouted, "Yes, I sold schematics and alien junk but I never killed anyone to do it!"

Andrews grabbed Duran by the collar and hauled him to his feet. They were nose to nose, and Rose saw Duran's feet dangle a few inches off the ground. "Stop lying!"

Alarmed, Duran tried to push him off. It was as effective as punching a wall. "I'm not lying!"

Jake once told her that Andrews was Torchwood's best operative, a soldier from even before the Cyber War. He had no qualms using violence. It shouldn't have shocked her when Andrews backhanded Duran across the face.

Rose flinched. Duran was responsible for the last night's injured and dead, responsible for nearly killing Pete Tyler. And yet... "Isn't this police brutality?"

The people in the room stared at her. "Police what?"

"Brutality, doesn't he have rights?"

One of the men, Charlie, her mind supplied, replied "In Torchwood? We're beyond that stuff. Besides, he's a terrorist."

"Don't tell me," a woman Rose didn't recognize said, "You're one of the bleeding hearts, aren't you? Probably even one of those people who was soft on Cybermen."

"He isn't a Cyberman, is he?" she retorted.

The woman sneered but whatever she was about to say was lost when Ianto entered the room. "End this, get Andrews out of there."

"What?" Rose wasn't the only who snapped the question.

Ianto spared the interrogation room another look then said, in a clipped tone: "We have bigger problems. William, Lisa get your group together and meet me in the crisis room."

"What about me?" Rose asked just before he left.

He stared at her as if he'd just noticed her for the first time. "Continue with your inventory."

"I can help!"

Ianto scowled. "Then it's best you help by finishing the inventory."

"Then why did you have me escorted here?"

"I didn't." He turned and slammed the door shut.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

President Harriet Jones arrived with two people, her personal assistant and a statuesque brunette woman with cheekbones that could cut glass and sharp gray eyes like ice. Edwards met the President at the door and she instantly whipped out an ID. "Harriet Jones, President."

"Yes, ma'am," he said then instantly walked beside her. "We've a situation here."

"I know," she said briskly, then nodded to her personal assistant and finally to the woman beside her, "...and this is Diane Bridge, she will be the new Director of the Torchwood Institute."

Edwards froze. "Ma'am, I must object."

"You are both concerned with the welfare of this planet. I suggest both of your agencies start learning to play well with each other."

"Major," Bridge said, "I am unlike my predecessors. I believe we will work better together than against each other."

Edwards had heard that before, it was a party line every Torchwood Director came up with until they cut the bullshit and started hoarding secrets again. Besides, this wasn't his decision to make - but on the other hand every second they wasted meant certain invasion for Earth. He looked at the president but she only raised her eyebrows in expectation.

"Very well," he said, suppressing a sigh, "Just this once."

"Very good," President Jones said then nodded at him. "Lead on, major."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Are we really, really sure it's safe to be here?"

"Yeah," Mickey answered Jake. "We're cleared for this area, place is still structurally sound. Takes more than a bomb to take this building down."

He looked around, tables knocked around by the blast and walls once pristine white were now black-gray. The big hole where one of the blasts occurred had turned steel and cement into cinder.

"I thought the vault was impenetrable," Rose said from where she was crouching.

"It was, now it's not," he said with a shrug. He watched Rose approach the blast hole, examining it. Rose had that expression on her face again like at any moment she'd figure --

"Did you just sniff the wall?"

"Smells a bit of tangy under all the smoke."

His expression changed to revulsion. "You've picked up some weird-- Oh, that's just disgusting!"

Rose pulled away from the wall. "But it tastes like burnt copper."

"Did I just see you do what I think I saw you do?" Jake interjected.

"That depends, what did you see me do?"

"You licked the bleedin' wall!" Mickey gestured at her, "you licked the wall and it might have been contaminated!"

"Could be, but isn't. Scanned the wall earlier, Doctor used to do it. Thought it was a bit dodgy - always liked a little more Spock - but it's effective. "

"So, what, you adapt the Doctor's fetish now?"

As usual, she wasn't looking at him. She was fiddling with the scanner. "Mmhm..."

"To think I used to snog you," he said, appalled.

"Good thing you have Jake."

"What?" he asked, taken aback.

"What?" Jake said.

"What?" she returned, startled. Rose looked at him and blinked. "Sorry, wasn't listening."

Mickey's jaw worked as he frowned at her but she kept looking at him with the same blank expression. He didn't look at Jake. "All right, well, I'll just check something." He backed out the room. "Out there. Now, see ya."

Rose waited a few minutes until Mickey's footsteps receded into the background. "You mean it's been nearly four years and he hasn't caught on?"

"He isn't Ricky," Jake said, handing her another wire. "And the licking thing is disgusting."

"Bollocks," Rose said. "That hasn't mattered to you in years."

"The licking thing? That always mattered."

"The Ricky thing."

"Leave off, Tyler," he scowled. "Anyway, he's straight, thinks of me as his best mate and I don't want to ruin it."  
"Mickey's just stubborn. You and Mickey are always off together, life and death crisis. That's bound to stir some feelings."

"Yeah? How did that work for you and your Doctor?"

It was Rose's turn to scowl. "Hand me that spanner."

"Thought so," he said, smugly.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

**UNIT**

"They're past the Mars line!" Tad announced.

A frisson of adrenaline shot straight through Edwards. Mars. The point of no return. It meant the aliens went from casual tourists to actually intending on setting foot on Earth. "ETA?"

"Two hours."

"Can we establish communications?" President Jones asked. "Find out what their objectives are?"

"We've been trying from the start, ma'am," answered Edwards.

"I suggest we assume their intentions are hostile," Bridge said, leaning forward. Edwards tried not to look annoyed. He had been just about to suggest the same thing.

President Jones wandered next to him then asked, quietly, "No sign of the code nine?" At Edwards astonished look, she added, "I've read up on everything, Major, don't be so surprised."

"No, ma'am." He hesitated, looked at Bridge to make sure she wasn't listening. UNIT was always aware of Torchwood's hostile agenda against the Doctor. He was glad the President had sense enough not to inquire about the Doctor loudly. "According to the Brigadier, the last time he and... The code nine spoke he mentioned something about a war. There's been no contact since."

President Jones regarded Edwards for a long moment. "Pity, I'd have liked to meet him." She nodded to the screen, and said louder this time, "I agree with the assessment, we should assume hostile intent until otherwise stated."

Edwards went into action immediately. "Attention all hands, we are officially at code red, I repeat, we are at code red!"


	4. Chapter 4

IV.

-------------------

_Running against the Man_

_------------------_

"This doesn't make sense."

Jake looked from where he was listing the alien knickknacks; half of the things there he didn't even know what to make of. "What doesn't?"

"Duran."

He snorted. "What's there to understand? He's a greedy egomaniac."

"I'm just saying, from what I've seen he said he's been selling alien tech for a long time - so why choose this method now?" Rose said, chewing on her lip.

"Maybe he's getting paid more, I don't know." And by extension, he meant, he didn't care.

Jake had no love for Duran. He was a bastard during the resistance days but it seemed he turned into an even bigger bastard after.

Rose stood up. "C'mon."

"What? Where are we going?"

"To see Duran."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Probably the only reason why the Preachers weren't pulled into the basement offices was because the basement was already occupied with Torchwood's jail cells, war rooms and other secret labs Jake had only seen once during the days of the changeover.

They walked passed makeshift offices, people walking to and fro and some scattered debris until they hit the stairs since the lift in this area was still closed. Jake wasn't sure why Rose even wanted to talk to Duran. But he followed along; Jake supposed it was better he tagged along to make sure she didn't get into any trouble.

The senior staff was never keen with the idea of letting Rose anywhere near their inner sanctum. If someone had asked him, he'd have called it stupid; but the senior staff was composed of the old Torchwood guard, so he supposed stupid was default for them.

They hit the cells and Jake watched Rose skip towards the guard. "Hello, we're here to question the prisoner."

The guard looked dead on his feet. There was a day's growth of beard on his face and when he looked at them his eyes drooped. "Who are you?"

"Simmonds and Tyler, sent from above or actually below ground now, isn't it?" Rose flashed a badge Jake had never seen before at the guard. "See? All proper and official. Just want to question, build up a case."

The guard grunted, pressed a button and waved them on as the electric doors swung open.

"Thank you kindly," Rose said, and purposely strode on as if she knew where exactly to go.

"Do you know where you're going?" Jake asked.

She didn't stop walking. "No, but I figure we'll find Duran, eventually."

"Eventually?" he repeated.

"Yeah, it's not that hard and there's only one path, so eventually."

He stopped and looked. The path did stretch on with empty cells on either side. "Please don't tell me that you plan things on the fly too."

"C'mon, Jake, we don't have all the time in the world!" Rose called, tugging on his sleeve.

"We'll get in trouble for this, you know," he warned.

"No doubt about that," she paused, "unless you want to go back up?"

"And be bored out of my mind? No thanks."

Rose grinned. "Knew I liked you for a reason."

"What? You need a reason besides my good looks?"

"It's a benefit."

Jake watched Rose stride forward, checking cells. "You and the Doctor did this kind of thing a lot, did you?"

"Sometimes it was like all we ever did," she answered. "Ah, here's our man Duran."

There, indeed, he was. The bastard. He looked like he'd gone three rounds with Tyson. Duran raised his head and glared. "What do you want?"

"Well, there you are, charming as ever," Rose said, tapping on the transparent door.  
"Sod off!"

"Is that anyway to treat the only people who think you're not guilty?"

He stared at them blankly, "You," Duran pointed at Rose, "think I'm not guilty, I didn't sell any tech to another agency."

"Let's not go overboard, I only meant I didn't believe you bombed the building. Even if you hadn't confessed I knew you'd be the sort to turn traitor for money."

"Then what the hell are you here for, getting a laugh out how the mighty has fallen?" Duran asked with a snarl.

Jake laughed derisively. "You're so full of it!"

Rose pressed on. "We're here because we believe-" Jake coughed, "Because I believe you're not the bomber."

Duran looked at them then suddenly threw his shoe at Rose, or would have if the transparent door wasn't there. "Get out!"

"Childish," Rose commented, looking at the shoe.

"Yeah, very 12 year old." Jake added.

"I don't need your help!"

Rose shrugged. "Suit yourself." She tucked her arm in Jake's and turned around. Jake allowed Rose to pull him away. He raised his eyebrows and watched her, he could almost hear Rose silently count off-

"Wait!"

She paused, shared a look with him then cocked her head in Duran's direction. "For what?"

"You really believe I had nothing to do with the bombing?"

Jake exchanged a glance with her before facing Duran. "Depends on your answers."

Duran looked at Rose suspiciously before asking, "What do you want to know?"

"Why were you packing up?"

"Someone tipped me that the operatives were coming for me," Duran said, "I thought that they finally caught on but when I saw the news I knew I was being framed."

Rose studied him. "What did you take?"

"I didn't take--"

"Christ, you're a bad liar," Jake said, annoyed. "Come on, Rose, he's got nothing."

"Alright, alright!" Duran shouted. "It was a sort of temporal imager, could see a few seconds into the future."

Jake had no idea what that was but Rose wrinkled her nose and said: "Not really all that impressive."

"That's because you've no imagination!" he sneered.

"What time did you spring this away?"

He looked peeved at Rose's non-reaction. "Five thirty."

She looked at Jake. "Think we got everything," she said. She then said to Duran, "It's been unpleasant, do enjoy your stay."

"What?" Duran asked, startled, "What do you mean? How does that help me? Tyler!" Duran shouted behind them. "Answer me! Tyler! Tyler!"

Jake waved at Duran cheekily before he followed Rose, waiting until Duran's kicking and screaming subsided. "Okay, how exactly does that help us?"

"Think about it, Jake," Rose said speedwalking her way out. He's only seen her like this once, in another world. Jumping and laughing in the face of certain death and danger; the situation wasn't the same but she's bouncing. It's the best he's seen her in months.

"I haven't slept in twenty-four hours, I'd rather not, thanks."

"Come on, you can do this."

"Fine. Well, he said he took the thingamajig out at five thirty and--" It clicked in his mind. "But the explosion happened at six thirty!"

"Bang on!" Rose crowed. "We'll solve this mystery soon, Holmes..." At Rose's faltering tone Jake followed her gaze and felt his stomach fall. It was Ianto, looking as sour as ever. "Or not." 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"What did I say?"

"But it doesn't make any sense!" Rose insisted, tapping her hands on Ianto's desk. "Think about it, Ianto-"

"What did I say?" Ianto said, louder now.

"Think about it! It doesn't fit Duran's style! He's been doing this for a long time and done it so well none of us ever caught on! The only reason we caught him is because someone tipped us off! Duran would have gotten away with it if the bombing didn't happen--"

"Tyler!"

"-- I'm not saying he's not guilty for stealing and treason but he isn't responsible for the bombing! It isn't his style! Duran thinks he's all style and finesse and whatever, the bombing isn't. The bombing thing feels desperate!"

Ianto slammed his hand on the desk with a thud, shaking the files on the desk. "Enough! I gave you one job, Tyler, one job! You're qualified as an analyst, not as a field agent! And yet, here you are, going around playing detective! Let the experts do their job and you do yours!"

"But isn't this why I'm here?" Rose said, pressing her point. "Because I have experience with these things, you want someone who has experience with aliens? Got her fill of world saving? Well, that's me!"

"No, it isn't you!" Ianto gestured to the people outside his office. "They've been saving this world far longer than you have. We defeated the Cybermen without any help from you or your precious Doctor, we managed without you just fine and we can do so again!"

She gritted her teeth, "Listen to me, his story doesn't match--"

"Think you're so clever? Well, how about this, DCI Tyler." Ianto dropped a file on his desk. "This is a phone transcript we recovered that clearly states his buyer insisted the purchase be set last night, that answers desperation. He needed a way to get it out without any notice--"

"But he already did! He told me! He sprang it away at 5:30!"

"And you believed him?"

Rose looked mutinous. "Yes."

Ianto moved away and let out a frustrated breath. "Look, I know you're not a bad sort and you probably think I'm the villain in this, but I have done this job a long time and believe it or not what I'm going to say is to your benefit. I want you to take a leave of absence for a few days-"

She stared at him, shocked. "What?"

"This is for your own good, someone has to protect you from yourself. And from the way you've been going, you're just being a nuisance to everyone. Go to your dad, to your mum. You need to be there now, we can function without you."

"You're serious, you're taking me off of this case."

"You were never in it," he said, quietly. "Your ID please, we'll return it after your leave is done."

His hand was outstretched. She looked at it for a long moment before she took the lanyard off of her neck and numbly placed it on the table.

"This is for your own good," Ianto repeated then turned to the door. "You can get your things, I trust we don't need a guard to escort you outside."

Rose shook her head, "No." 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

He was gone for only 15 minutes. He was sure of it as he timed it with his watch. The next thing Mickey knew he was doing a vigil outside Ianto's makeshift office and listening to the shouting. It wasn't until everything went quiet that he started to worry.

He knew from experience that the moment Rose got quiet was the moment things went pear shaped. "I leave you two for a few minutes and you get into trouble!"

"I didn't know we were going to get caught!" Jake said defensively and that deepened Mickey's scowl some more. "And what she said makes sense!"

Mickey threw his hands up. "Now I get why the Doctor went nuts when Rose wandered off!"

"Oi! What am I? Chopped liver?" Jake said, affronted. "Anyway, she made sense."

Mickey didn't respond and opted to stare at the fluorescent light. He wondered if he could go blind just staring at it. He felt Jake crowd him in. "She made sense, Mickey."

"Of course she does!" Mickey snapped, "She's the Doctor's whatsit... protégée since I don't even know how long."

"So what are we going to do?"

He stared at the ceiling again. Jake poked his arm. Before he could decide whether he should hit his head against the wall or insult Jake's comic collection (because, really, Marvel?) Ianto's door opened and Rose came stomping out of the office.

Mickey watched Rose walk away. He's known her since they were children and loved her for longer. And they were happy together after Jimmy Stone and before the Doctor but it took him longer to admit they were better as friends.

She had a mouth on her, Rose had, and a sense of humor and quick wit. He'd always loved the way she jumped at any chance to do something. She was always first in line for trouble too. But since the Void she'd been sleepwalking. Mickey didn't recognize that Rose, didn't like seeing Rose that way but now, she has that sort of sparkle in her eyes again and it took a bomb investigation to put that sparkle back.

"Mickey, man?" Jake prompted.

He sighed, as if it was even a question. "Fine..."

Jake slapped him on the back. "Yes, that's the way to go!"

"You two are getting along well," he observed.

"Yeah, strange isn't it?" Jake grinned, pulling on his coat and leaving.

For some reason Mickey felt more disturbed than ever. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

She couldn't believe it. She was suspended. It was so much easier back when she was with the Doctor. She didn't need to deal with all this bureaucratic crap - they would have just swanned in, fixed the problem and damn the authorities.

Rose missed those days.

"Miss Rose, are you alright?"

Rose turned and saw Darrell sitting on the other side of a desk, clipboard in hand. He was one of the boy geniuses Torchwood employed. She liked him, he was always polite and he didn't seem as cynical or jaded as the rest of the Torchwood staff.

"Oh, yeah, sorry I was just..." She nodded to Darrell. "What you doing?"

He rolled his shoulders and looked like she just caught him stealing something from a cookie jar. "Just hoping to help out, Miss Rose."

"Darrell, I told you, Rose would do."

She watched, amused as Darrell turned red. "Yes, you did, M-- Rose."

"It's good of you to be helping out, especially since Mickey and Jake will be needing a hand..." Rose trailed off and then took a piece of scrap metal from the floor. "Darrell, were you privy to the kinds of gadgets that were hidden in the vault?"

"Hard not to be," he said. "Why do you ask?"

Rose approached the blast hole, entered the vault and sniffed the air and turned around. "What was here?"

"Dangerous alien tech," Darrell answered, "sort of gadgets the higher-ups don't want us to play with."

"What specifically?"

"I, uh, have to look it up."

"What are we looking up?" Mickey said, entering the room and raising his eyebrows at her.

"And weren't you suspended?"

"Sort of?" Rose hedged.

"Sort of, she says," Jake echoed, then reached over and tapped a folder on her head. "Guess you're officially one of the Preachers now. Running against the Man."

"Aren't we working for the Man?" Rose asked, confused. "Aren't you working for the Man?"

"We just let him think that."

Darrell's computer made a pinging sound. Rose went around the table and peered over his shoulder. "Let's see it."

"Okay," Mickey waved his hand at her, "still not answered the question."

"I'm just thinking here but..." Rose snapped her fingers. "I just realized maybe the bomb going off here wasn't 'cause it's the way into the vault - but what if it's because the item the bomber wanted was behind that wall?"

Jake and Mickey turned to where she was pointing and at the big gaping hole where the wall used to be.

"That would be stupid, wouldn't it? They'd destroy the object they were trying to steal."

"Not if there was a secondary vault protecting it." Rose bit her lip. "I've seen it done in other places. Darrell, does Torchwood use that?"

"It's standard procedure, Miss Rose," Darrell answered. Jake mouthed, 'Miss Rose?'

She ignored Jake and focused on the screen as Darrell read the list aloud: several sonic equipments, a triple blade disperser, cerebral controller, phoenix glove, laser blasters, sonic bombs-

"Wait, repeat that."

Darrell looked over the list. "Sonic bombs?"

"No the one before laser blasters I think."

"The Phoenix glove."

Rose looked up from the files. "The what?"

"The thing that could resurrect--"

"The dead, yeah, I remember." Rose paused. It was one of the things that caught her eye, reading through the manifest earlier. It had caused quite a stir when it was brought in and, according to the water cooler gossip, was the main cause of friction between the London and Cardiff office. There was something there in the back of her mind. _Duran thinks he's all style and finesse and whatever, the bombing isn't. The bombing thing feels desperate/ "We must go now, Miss Tyler!" / Phoenix Glove, could resurrect -- _"I'm an idiot!" The boys looked at her. "Ianto's right, inventory is key."

"Key to what?" Mickey asked.

"Could you rephrase that?" Jake said, "because I think you just said Ianto's right."

She ignored Jake again, caught in her thoughts. "It's not about the money, the objective was the bloody glove."

"Who?"

If she was right... dammit. Rose grabbed her coat and made her way to the door. "Let's go."  
"Where are we going?" Mickey asked, catching up to her.

She paused to look at him. "We're going domestic."


	5. Chapter 5

----

_It looked all so domestic_

----

It looked all so domestic, so normal with the yard and the fence and above the house a zeppelin passed by. Something people can miss so easily because it wasn't remarkable in a grand way. It was just a home. Jake stopped his van in front of the house. "Sure this is it?"

"Darrell?" Rose asked over the phone, "Is this the place?"

"Said so in the files, Miss Rose."

"Okay, thanks for the help, Darrell." She disconnected the phone and nodded. "He said it is."

Mickey shook his head. "That kid is gone for you."

"Oh, shut up," she said with a shake of her head, frowning. It was clear she was already focused on the house. "We should go in now."

"Tell me again why you think it's Hinds." Mickey twisted in the passenger's chair to look at her. "Especially since he was nowhere near the Tower when the explosion happened."

"But he was," she told him. "Remember the fireman?"

"There were lots of firemen milling about last night, you've got to be more specific."

"I'm talking about a specific fireman, remember the bloke who helped me carry Pete out?" Mickey nodded. "He called me Miss Tyler."

Jake made a sound before saying, "Oh, well, if calling you 'Miss' is a crime now--"

"Think about it, even if I did get the occasional mention in the tabloids -- which is still weird by the way -- I doubt random fireman guy could pick me out in a line up especially with the smoke. And in all Torchwood there's only one person who calls me 'Miss Tyler' and that's --"

"Hinds." Mickey said. "I don't get it, he doesn't strike me as a greedy son of a bitch."

"It's not about the money. He has a daughter, Mick, she's dying of cancer."

Even Jake had nothing to say to that, but when she looked at Mickey again he had a dark expression on his face. She remembered how Mickey was, sometimes, he still had the bit of old Mickey in him, a hardline stance on good and evil. Human and inhuman. She opened her mouth then closed it again. What would she say? Defend Hinds?

"Plan of attack?" Jake asked, breaking the silence and pulling out a gun from under his seat. It wasn't the hi-tech weapons Torchwood had, but run of the mill pistols. Rose wished she could say this was the first time she'd ever seen a .45 caliber pistol up close.

"We're not going to attack," she said, "we're going to ask him some questions and--"

He groaned. "Ask questions? He's a bleedin' bomber!"

"We don't know that yet, innocent until proven guilty, remember--?"

"Since when?" Jake asked.

"--and I wasn't finished. While we go around asking Hinds some questions, you go by the back door and if there's any trouble, you're our back up."

"Well, not a bad plan, still rank it up there as pretty stupid though."

"Well, I wasn't planning to go detective today, was I?"

Mickey took the gun from Jake. "Kids, behave." He passed it to Rose. "Here."

Rose looked at the gun warily. "What's that?"

"It's a gun," Jake said in a tone reserved for children or special cases.

"I know what it is. I meant why are you handing me one?"

"Because this isn't like back home where you had the Doctor to talk his way out of anything, this world is harder than home and people here kill on sight." Mickey said seriously, holding the gun out. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

Rose looked at the gun, then to Mickey. She took the gun, her fingers curled around the handle in a familiar grip.

"Alright," Mickey said with a nod, "The way to hold a gun is-"

"I know how to hold a gun." Jack had taught her to use a gun once, during one of those lazy days after a particularly harrowing adventure. He'd pulled her into one of those vacant rooms the TARDIS had and proceeded to teach her some of the basics. The lesson hadn't gone far, however, because the Doctor appeared in the doorway looking murderous and had threatened to throw Jack out of the TARDIS if he'd done it again. It was the longest row they'd had and only stopped when the TARDIS had crash landed in a planet and there'd been no time to return to that particular argument because they were too busy hopping for their lives.

"The safety's here, so don't forget to switch it off when you fire and squeeze the trigger when you shoot--"

"It isn't the first time I've fired a gun, Mickey." Rose said, exasperated.

"Rose, this is serious." His voice had gotten quiet, intense. "Things might get messy and we might have to take him out."

"I know."

"This isn't a joke, you might have to end up shooting him!"

"Mickey--"

But he went on, as if Rose didn't know the risks. "This'll be first time you'll be forced to kill a person!"

"It won't be."

Rose met Mickey's eyes and held the stare longer than necessary, and then opened the door.

"Let's go before Ianto realizes what we're doing."

Mickey pounded on the door with three official knocks. Rose fiddled with the psychic paper and hovered to the side, peering in the window. Something caught her eye.

"Mickey," she said. He paused in mid-knock. Rose gestured to the window. "It's a firefighter's coat."

He looked at Rose. She understood and took out her gun at the same time Mickey did. He backed up a step and then prepared to kick down the door, the way it was always done in the movies. She'd seen the Doctor use the same move once or twice. Mickey let loose a vicious kick and Rose prepared to storm the doorway.

She should have known things were never that easy. Instead of the door knocking open with a bang and herself and Mickey entering the house like heroes, what they got was a shaking door and Mickey wincing going, "shit, damn," while he hopped from one foot to the other. "That always worked in the movies."

She grimaced in sympathy. "Makes you appreciate the sonic screwdriver now, doesn't it?"

"Remind me," Mickey said, through gritted teeth, "to request a universal key from R and D next time we try this out."

"Let's try the two of us," Rose suggested and stood next to him. Mickey looked like he didn't want to do it again.

"Fine, alright, sure," Mickey said reluctantly. He put his injured foot down then began counting, "One! two! three!'

Two legs shot out and hit the door and Rose immediately regretted it. A lancing pain shot up her leg. Her only consolation was that the door shook harder than it did before. There was a scraping sound and a loud squeak and the door opened to reveal Jake, eyebrows raised. "What are you two doing?"

"We were trying to kick down the door," Mickey said, offended, "And it would have worked too!"

Jake looked at them as if they were daft. "This is oak, mate, tough wood, only a bleedin' axe can break down this door!"

"Anyone here?" Rose asked, changing the subject.

"Haven't checked upstairs yet because my two partners seem to be idiots."

"Oi!" Rose and Mickey shouted as one.

"C'mon," Jake said leading the way. The house was quiet, eerily so. Rose thought that with all the racket they'd made they'd find Hinds glowering at them but there was no one. A firefighter's hard hat lay discarded on the carpet.

"Still think he's here?" Mickey asked.

"If he's not we could go and check the hospital," Rose said as Jake shook his head and said, "Clear."

Mickey moved to her left flank and checked the room to the left only to return with a shake of his head. Rose looked to the room at the center, she shared a glance with Jake and then Mickey then nodded. They moved forward and she covered their back just like she'd seen soldiers do.

Jake held the doorknob, looked to Mickey and then twisted it open. Mickey kicked the door open and surged forward, gun out.

"Rose," Mickey called out, quiet and urgent. Alarmed, Rose stepped forward and it was exactly what she had feared. Hinds was kneeling on the floor beside the prone form of a teenaged girl she supposed was Marie. The Phoenix glove was on the floor opposite Hinds.

"She's dead," Hinds said in a quiet, dull voice. "It didn't even bring her back all the way through."

Mickey's expression was complicated, as if he didn't know whether he pitied Hinds or hated him. His gun drooped to the floor.

"Get away from that!" Hinds shouted and Rose jumped in alarm at the gun in Hinds hands, he was aiming it at Jake who had frozen just as he was about to pick up the glove. "Stay back! It's useless!"

"Then you shouldn't mind if we take it, right?" Rose asked, softening her voice.

"No!" he snarled, and Rose had never seen him as ferocious as he was now. "I paid blood for it, it's mine by right!"

Rose flashed to all the bodies, people she'd seen around Torchwood but didn't really know. "You didn't pay for anything."

The gun swung to her and Mickey hissed her name, bringing his gun up. Rose didn't move back but cautiously, slowly, moved forward. "I just want to talk to you, yeah?" She passed her gun to Jake, who looked at her as if she'd gone mad. "Look, see? No gun. Hinds glared at her suspiciously but didn't do anything else so she took that as permission. "When did she die?"

"Hours ago, yesterday." He let out a laugh that sounded hysterical to her ears. "What does it matter? She's dead. Advanced alien technology, what a laugh! It's nothing - just gave me a few minutes with my daughter and then she's gone again."

"You can't trust these things," Rose said, taking another step forward, "There's always a catch."

He let out a derisive laugh. "And what would you know about these things? You're an analyst! Pete Tyler's daughter!"

"Know more about them than you think."

"I just want my daughter to live!" he shouted, his gun wavering dangerously. His shoulders shook and Rose found it wasn't easy to look at him. He looked so raw. "She's the only one I have left!"

Her cautious step forward brought her close enough to touch his gun, but she wasn't daft enough to attempt that. "I'm sorry, I am, but she's dead."

"Don't say that!" he shouted and she froze when he shook his gun at her. "She is not-- she's..."

"Is this what your daughter would have wanted?" she asked. "If she were here, how do you think she would feel if she knew how many people died for her?"

"At least she'd live!"

"But she isn't, is she?" she returned, all kindness and softness gone in the face of memories of the death she'd seen. "All you've done is destroy lives for nothing. You can't bring her back! She's gone!"

Fury swept over his features and Rose knew she had overstepped her bounds, but she pressed on. "Everything ends, it's her time and you've done all you can...let her go, Hinds. Let her go."

"You!" he shouted, arm shaking, "You can't just..." His eyes flicked down to his daughter and suddenly a sob wrenched from his chest. "She's dead."

"I'm sorry..." she murmured and knelt beside him. Rose gently wrapped her hand on his gun and with a tug pulled it easily out of his grasp. Rose slipped the gun into Jake's waiting hands and Hinds collapsed on her shoulder. She stiffened for a second, then relaxed. She hadn't realized how long it had been since she was hugged by someone other than her mother.

Mickey left the room after that. Jake waited out the sobbing before pulling Hinds off of Rose and cuffing him. Rose found Mickey in Hinds' backyard, glaring at a pair of swings. "All he wanted was to save his daughter."

"He loved her," Mickey said. "But that's never enough to keep anything."

Rose looked at the swings. "Yeah."

&&&&&&&

**UNIT**

The aliens were called Latrans. They were not in any classified alien civilization in either UNIT or Torchwood's archives. On the other hand at least their names were easy to pronounce. They could almost pass for human, except for the skin color and the too-green eyes.

After they'd managed to establish communications with the Latrans Harriet nodded to Major Edwards, giving him permission to speak. He was UNIT, he was trained for such eventualities. Harriet envied him that; she hadn't exactly received instruction manuals when the Cyber War began and she found herself commander-in-chief of all Britain.

"I am Major Edwards of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce," he began, his voice steady. "Please identify yourselves."

The Latran leader looked at Edwards with disdain and began uttering something in a harsh guttural language. It took a few seconds for the translation program to kick in. "I am Kivon Linak, leader of the Latrans."

"Greetings from Earth-"

The harsh language cut Edwards off. Harriet didn't know if the harshness was the natural state of the language or something more. "I will only speak to your Earth leader."

Bridge and Edwards glanced at her ready, she supposed, to cover for her. Harriet would have none of that. She helped lead Britain to its freedom. She would not shirk that duty now. Harriet stepped forward, "I am the leader of this country," she said, holding her identification for the Latran to see, "President Harriet Jones and I proudly represent this planet."

"Yes, we see." Kivon rumbled.

"What is the purpose of your visit?"

"You have something of ours," Kivon said.

A murmur of relief passed through the room. "Then it would only be our pleasure to return your missing property, Kivon."

"I do not doubt that, the device has done what it was supposed to do and now we are here for our true purpose."

A sliver of fear passed through her. "And what is that purpose?"

"Why," Kivon looked at them with something like politeness and civility, "Invasion, of course."

The Torchwood operatives arrived five minutes later in black vans and trucks. Operatives in black tactical gear appeared sweeping the area, making sure there were no anachronistic devices or any other evidence of what had occurred.

Rose watched one of the operatives load Hinds into one of the black vans. She'd just had a three minute shouting match with Ianto about the merits of following orders and got an additional week in her suspension for her trouble, never mind that she'd helped catch the real bomber.

"Now why are you frowning?" Jake asked.

"Additional suspension."

"What did you expect? This is Ianto, if any bloke's born with the book in hand, it's him."

Hinds meant well and did it out of love, but a lot people died for it. It shouldn't be an excuse.

"Rose!" Mickey ran to her, coming off the phone.

"What is it?"

"The explosion did more than break the Phoenix glove out, it also activated a signal."

Rose froze, knowing the answer before she asked. "What sort of signal?"

"It's signaling a ship and it's on its way here."

"It's not," Rose said.

"What?" Mickey asked, startled. "'Course it is, it's why Ianto wants us back--"

"Mickey, it's already here."

"What?"

Rose pointed up to the large shadow over the clouds, hovering and poised to strike. And then the concussion wave hit.

&&&&&&&

**UNIT**

"For what reason are you doing this?"

"You have plenty of land, resources," Kivon said. "Do not worry, your people will be kept in good condition."

"And you think we'll just allow you to invade us?" Edwards asked.

"You will resist but it will be futile," Kivon said in an almost dismissive rumble. "We have scanned your technology and you have nothing that can challenge us. Surrender or die - that is your only option."

The hell they would, they've survived almost genocide before and they didn't just lie down and take it. "There must be another option, we can establish an alliance-"

"With you?" Disdain seeped even through the translation. "I think not, we do not consort with lowly beings."

"We'll stop you." Edwards said, "We're not as helpless as you think."

"You are as helpless as we think," There was a flash of light around the room.

Harriet looked around the room. "What was that?"

"We have cut off all your communications with the outside world. You will find that you cannot leave that room nor can you send and receive any messages," Kivon said in his deep, rumbling voice. "You will learn the consequences of defying me. I will keep you alive long enough to bear witness to your civilization's end."

&&&&&&&

That's the difference then, thought Rose after the concussion wave struck, shattering glass and shaking structures. Where panic and hysteria would be the norm in her world, here there were barred windows, underground bunkers and rifles and steeliness among the people that reminded Rose of the times she and the Doctor ventured to worlds at war.

Rose pulled herself up, staring at the ship. It was different from the Sycorax ship; the ship above them had clean lines and even more, she suspects, powerful weapons.

"Think it's an invasion?" Mickey asked.

"I don't think it could be anything else," Rose answered and brushed pieces of glass off her jacket. Jake was staring at the ship, mouth hanging open.

"That's a spaceship!"

Despite the situation, Rose couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, yeah it is."

"A _spaceship_!"

"Jake, mate," Mickey said and pulled him up, "get it together. We have to go back to the Tower."

"Know a shortcut back to the Tower?" Rose asked but Jake was still gaping at the ship. She poked at him. "Jake!"

"What?"

"Do you know a shortcut to Canary Wharf?"

Jake spared her a glance. "'Course."

They arrived to the loud blaring of alarms and the war room covered in flashing red lights.

"For God's sake, shut off that alarm!" hollered Ianto at the center of the mess of computers. The alarms went on for another minute until they shut off. "Thank you! Now, can anyone tell me if we've established contact with UNIT or the President?"

"No, sir, still static." a voice from the corner shouts.

"What's going on?" Rose asked the person beside her. Just like the tent outside, the war room was cramped. She couldn't help her elbows digging into someone's rib.

"A few minutes ago we lost communication with UNIT and the President."

"Any chance they were teleported to the ship?"

"We thought so too," said the unfortunate person whose rib she was abusing, "but so far no energy surges."

Just as she was about to reel off another question one of the screens flickered and an alien face loomed in the screen. Of all the aliens she'd seen Rose supposed this one didn't look so bad. A point in its favour was the fact that he or she didn't have tentacles, only redder skin and green-green eyes.

"Have you seen them before?" Mickey asked from behind her, wedged uncomfortably in the corner.

Rose shook her head. "No, but I think we're off to a bad start if they've got the ship in our atmosphere."

Jake snorted. "Oh, yeah, you think so? -Oi! Watch the elbow!"

She ignored him and watched as Ianto spoke to the alien. It was strange hearing words spoken a second or two late. There was the strange itch at the back of her skull again. Rose ignored it, instead she took out her phone and dialed Jackie's number. The least she could do is secure her parents' safety.

Rose was too intent on listening for Jackie to pick up that she missed the sound of a strange high toned beeping and then the immediate quiet. A second later Rose realized it was a little too quiet for this sort of alien invasion and just as Jackie's 'Hello?' came on Rose had looked up - only to find the alien on screen pointing at her. "_You_."


	6. Chapter 6

---

_She really should know better than attempt to use any gadget she got from the Doctor-- it only led to trouble._

---

Oh, fantastic. She really should know better than attempt to use any gadget she got from the Doctor-- it only led to trouble.

"You," the alien repeated, "where did you get that device?"

Ianto turned to look at her sharply. "What is he talking about?"

Rose looked at her mobile, then to Ianto and the alien. "This?"

"That thing?" Ianto said. "But that's just an ordinary mobile!"

"She deceives you!" the alien rumbled, waving a fist in her direction, "She has technology far beyond what your planet is capable! Where did you get that, little girl?"

"It's-"

"She's nothing, she's not important!" Ianto said, stepping in, with a look there Rose glimpsed before he turned back to face the alien. Rose thought it might be panic.

"If she does not speak then we will dispense with all these formalities and set straight to invasion-"

"No, I'll speak!" she said. Stepping forward, she took a deep breath. "I'll speak!"

"Who are you?" The alien demanded.

"Rose." She answered, "Rose Tyler."

"How did you come upon such a device?"

"I didn't come upon it, it's mine."

"You lie! I do not believe a lower lifeform like you can possess such technology!"

Ianto sidled up close to her. "Tell him, Tyler!"

She shot him a look but complied, though she stalled for time. "All right, I'll tell you."

"Go on!"

Rose straightened her back. This felt familiar. "You really want to know?"

"Yes!" the alien hissed, at the same time Ianto said "Don't aggravate him!"

"All right, this thing here? It was a gift from a Time Lord." She didn't expect that reaction, as if she'd just dropped a bomb in the middle of their ship. It helped her hands stop shaking. "That got your attention, didn't it?"

Rose had counted to forty before the alien hissed: "Nonsense."  
"You don't seem to think so."

"Those are just random words." he rumbled at Rose, as if she'd just offended him in some way, "Time Lords were a higher life form - why would they deign to speak to your kind?"

"Well, one of them was awful fond of the human race."

The alien sneered. "Time Lords no longer exist. They were defeated by their own arrogance!"

Rose had suspected but she never actually thought she'd have that confirmed. "By the Daleks you mean?" she said. Again, there was that ripple. It seemed the Time War was as devastating here as it was back home. Suddenly there were words pouring out of her, a rhythm in the speech she'd heard done so many times."If you think we're such 'lower beings' you have to ask yourself--"

"Kivon," Ianto supplied.

"Kivon, how could a human know about Daleks or Time Lords, or the last Great Time War?"

Kivon didn't speak. In fact, he looked hesitant, as if he'd chewed off more than he'd bargained for. "You know nothing about what you speak of!"

"Don't I?" Rose said, narrowing her eyes. "And how do you really know we're as technologically backwards as you think we are? You didn't even know I had this," she said, yanking her arm up and showing him her mobile. Kivon jumped back as if she was about to shoot him, "until I used it. How do you know we don't have similar weapons like..." she rummaged through her mind, trying to find something, a weapon the Doctor had talked about, "sonic blasters or... a... demat gun?"

The red of Kivon's skin paled to an almost pinkish color. "You have no such weapons."

"Really? Now who's blustering?" The smile she flashed him was all teeth. "You know what else too? Your invasion's illegal!"

"By whose law?" Kivon asked, glaring at her.

"According to the conventions of the Shadow Proclamation." Rose glared at Kivon. "Now we're going to give you a choice, you leave our planet alone or we will be forced to take drastic action!"

Kivon only continued glowering at her.

"You have less than an hour to decide." She gestured to the tech in front of her to pull the kill switch. She met Kivon's glare with her own as the screen went blank.

"Are you mad?" Ianto roared moments after Kivon vanished from the screen.

"I think so," Rose croaked. Her hands shook and her throat had gone dry. "I really think so."

"And you've dragged the whole planet with you!"

"'Least I bought us some time!" she snapped. "I think we have less than an hour but we can still have time to get up all the weapons, right?"

He glared at her but answered. "Yes but it's not enough time-"

"Then we better work faster, don't we? How are the weapons? What are our weapons?"

"We've several powerful energy weapons, but the laser cannons aren't working, something's jamming the signal," Darrell answered after looking at Ianto askance.

"We better hope the hour's enough then," Rose said, mouth dry. "How 'bout UNIT, can they help?"

"They've got the UNIT HQ contained," Ianto said, frowning. "They've managed to seal off the President too. We're all pretty low on resources."

"We have to think of something then, some way to bluff them or scare them away."

"Swordfight?" Mickey suggested.

"What?" Ianto asked.

"Er," Rose looked around at the room, the surviving members of Torchwood, techs and soldiers with guns. "I don't think anyone here knows how."

"What are you talking about?" Ianto interrupted.

"Nothing," Rose said then turned to Ianto. "Hang on, how come they didn't jam our signals or whatever?"

"We have a dampener," one of the techs beside Ianto answered. "It's not strong and it could only accommodate the size of this room. They can't track us while we have it on."

"And how long can we have it on?" Jake asked, pushing his way to the center.

Rose didn't like the way Ianto and the tech exchanged glances.

"An hour, less than that," Ianto answered for the tech. "The bombing set our energy stores back."

It wasn't enough. Rose knew the type of evil alien overlord Kivon was, and they were not usually known for patience. It was like the more technologically advanced they were the less they had time for waiting around. "Right, we can't stand around moaning and groaning here, we have to use our most powerful weapons."

All eyes turned to her.

"Our minds."

They all looked at her as if she'd gone daft. It wasn't exactly the reaction Rose was hoping for.

"_That's_ your plan?" Jake hissed beside her, "think the aliens to death?"

"'Course not!" she said, "I meant we use them. Think our way out of this, c'mon, you lot are supposed to be the brightest minds in Britain! There has to be some way we can weather this!" There was shuffling in the corners, so she pointed to the techs. "Right, you lot are assigned to the energy problem." She pointed to another group clustered around monitors. "And you to the weapons things. Ianto, can you think of some way to contact the President? Confirm she's not aboard the ship somehow?"

He looked at her dubiously. "I suppose I could work on that."

"Good, thanks."

"And what'll you do?" Mickey asked.

Rose tried not to wince. "I'll try to stall Kivon."

"That's your plan?" Jake repeated.

"If you got a better one, I'd love to hear it. No, seriously, Jake, I'd love to hear a plan," she said, looking at him hopefully.

But instead of boldly taking the situation in hand Jake shrugged and nodded to her. "If we die I'll at least know who to blame."

"Gee, thanks."

&&&&&&&

**UNIT**

"Anything, Major?" President Jones asked.

"Nothing, ma'am still static." Edwards said, his eyebrows drawn together. "Whatever he's done, Kivon's effectively locked us in."

Diane continued to tap away on the keyboards. "I've tried everything at this end too."

Without preamble the center screen came to life. Kivon loomed down on them.

"Who is this girl?" he rumbled at them, as another screen opened to show a blonde girl, holding up a mobile.

"Rose Tyler?" President Jones said in surprise. "What do you want to know about her?"

"Who is Rose Tyler?" Kivon rumbled again. "Where did she get that device?"

Edwards frowned. "What, the mobi-"

"Why do you want to know?" Diane asked, standing up.

Kivon sneered. "It does not concern you to know."

"Rose is one of my people," Diane said, crossing her arms. "That makes it my business."

He growled something that didn't translate then pointed at Rose Tyler's phone. "How did she come upon this device?"

"She didn't come upon it, it's hers."

It wasn't the answer he wanted it would seem, because he moved forward until his whole face filled he screen. "Who is she!"

"She came from the Void," Diana said, voice like ice, "a companion to an alien known as the Doctor." There was no reaction to that. "According to the files he was what was called a Time Lord."

There was something interesting with the way Kivon's face grew darker. The man beside Kivon came forward and said something loud enough for the speakers to pick up, something that sounded like 'Ka Faraq Gatri'. Whatever the word was provoked a reaction from Kivon and he barked something and suddenly the screen cut away to darkness.

"What was that about?" Edwards wondered.

"I don't know," President Jones said, "but I think it has something to do with Pete Tyler's daughter, Rose."

&&&&&&&

In the end, time and choice were taken from them. The screen flickered again as ideas were tossed around and another faction worked on something. Darrell was saying something: "we could fool them into thinking we got our weapons online, put together enough of an energy surge--"

The screen opened again.

"We found nothing on your world that could stop us," Kivon announced. "We will start our invasion."

"What?" Rose cried, standing up. She knew Kivon was the type to be impatient, but this was too soon. "Why?"

"You could not possibly have come through the Void," Kivon said harshly. "You could not possibly know the Ka Faraq Gatri!"

Ka Faraq what? "Well, you're wrong, I did come through the Void," she said. She pointed at Mickey and continued "so did he! We're not from this world, haven't you figured it out already?" What the hell was the Ka Faraq Gantri? Was it Gantri? Why didn't the translation software translate that? Dammit, she missed the TARDIS-

"You are spinning a web of lies, Rose Tyler, and belittling our capabilities!"

It had something to do with the TARDIS, right? Now what was it? What about the TARDIS? "I'm not spinning anything and I'm not the only one doing the underestimating, Kivon."

"You do not even know who the Ka Faraq Gatri is!" Kivon said with a triumphant snarl.

A person! A person, of course! "'Course I know who he is, he also goes by another name you know," Rose said, smile too sharp, heart beating too fast. She's praying and hoping, aware of the stares behind her back, the stakes. "He's called the Doctor. The Daleks called him the Oncoming Storm and that's who you're really afraid of isn't it? Not only superior technology but the Doctor. The Ka Faraq Gatri."

Kivon didn't move, his too green eyes narrowed into slits. Rose held her breath. Was that it? Was that enough? Whatever confidence that was bolstered by those precious few seconds vanished when Kivon let out a barking laugh.

"You are amusing," Kivon said. "The Time Lords are gone. Even the Ka Faraq Gatri could not withstand the inferno he created. And because of your impudence your world will burn."

"No!" she shouted.

Kivon paused. "What?"

This was her world now. This was the world that gave her back her father and a chance at a new family. This was the world the Doctor had entrusted to her and suddenly the fear turned into fury. This was her world and she'd be damned before she let aliens like Kivon destroy Earth. "I said no."  
"What do you mean by that?"

"You heard me," she growled. "Easy language, English. One syllable."

"There is nothing you can do, Rose Tyler, but watch as your world burn."

"You'll try." Rose moved forward, made sure they saw her clearly, "I told you, we're not defenseless and this invasion's illegal."

"Your weapons are useless--"

"Keep telling yourself that, Kivon." Rose raised her mobile, just the way she saw the Doctor raise the sonic screwdriver a million times to fend off an enemy or open a locked door. "One press on my device here and I can power up one of our most powerful weapons, blast you clean out of the sky."

"You are lying!"

"Are you so sure about that?" She bared her teeth. "We gave you a chance, a warning, that's more than most civilizations would give you."

Kivon kept glaring. "We will not leave-"

"Your loss," Rose snarled, "I warned you, I press this button and the weapon powers up. Are you staying or leaving?"

"We will not be threat-" He roared in alarm as Rose pushed a keypad and her phone lit up. "What are you doing?"

"Powering up one of our main laser cannons, it's building up to critical mass and at any moment you'll go kaboom." She nodded at him. "Go on, scan for energy readings or whatever it is you're up to."

Kivon swiveled around and seemed to be ordering his crew about. There was a series of rumbles and clicks spoken so fast the translator couldn't keep up, but when he swiveled back the snarl had turn into a cold smile. "You were bluffing, there is nothing in our sensors--"

A lieutenant jumped forward, "Critical mass, Lord Kivon!"

"What, didn't I tell you?" Rose said. "Critical mass, laser cannons and your ashes burning in our atmosphere." Kivon continued to glare at her. "You can still escape. Come out of this alive." They matched glares. Rose proceeded to press another button. "Your loss--"

"We withdraw!" Kivon shouted. "We withdraw!"

"Then do it."

Kivon snapped a few words, glaring at Rose and then another screen came to life, a radar. The ship was moving, rising from its orbit. Kivon threw one last filthy look at her and vanished from the screen altogether as the ship went past the moon, Mars, the asteroid belt and continued on far, far away.

It was the beyond part that started the shouting and the jumping. Her arm hurt but she couldn't put it down, and she was still staring at the screen where Kivon's red face had been. The spell was only broken when Mickey came bounding next to her and grabbed her in a bear hug shouting over and over, "You did it! You did it!"

Jake grabbed her too, not pulling her away from Mickey but hugging her at the same time. Ianto came over next. "How did you know?" he shouted over the din, "how did you know we'd have plan B up by then?"

"I didn't," Rose said faintly, "I bluffed."


	7. Chapter 7

---

_There was fallout, there's always fallout_

---

The moment she woke up she was cheerfully informed she had, indeed, fainted because of fatigue and hunger. Since then Mickey and Jake hadn't stopped reminding her about it.

"You sure you should be walking, Tyler?" Jake asked as she stood up and prepared to leave the infirmary. "'Cause you might keel over right here--"

"Whatever happened to being grateful for saving the world, huh?" she muttered, shooting him a glare.

"Well, we were all grateful, we were even starting a song for you but then you fainted..."

"Thank God I fainted then, otherwise I'd have to live through your attempts at trying to keep a tune..." Rose trailed off at a security guard hovering at the door. He stood at attention when she looked at him. "Yes?"

"The Director wants to see you, Miss," the security guard said

"The who?" Rose asked. There'd been no Torchwood Director for the months she'd been there. She knew about the deputy directors, assistant directors but she'd never heard of a Director.

"Director Bridge, Miss, she would like to have a word."

"Oh."

Mickey frowned. "What's this about, she just got back from the infirmary."

The guard shrugged. "Orders."

Rose could see Mickey was prepared to let out a tongue lashing. "No, it's okay, I'll go," she said.

"Rose..."

But she shook her head, stalling any arguments from Mickey, and turned to the guard. "Let's go then."

There was fallout, there was always fallout. Even as they had fixed things something would always get in the way, disrupt the order (chaos) they'd created. The guard led her to another office and stopped at the door. Rose was reminded of the interrogation room. The guard nodded at her to enter, and she did.

A brunette woman sat on the other side of a massive desk. The name on the desk read 'Diane Bridge'. She looked, to Rose, like she was carved from ice.

"Miss Rose Tyler." The Director's voice was low, soft almost syrupy. The type of voice Rose had always wanted.

"Director," she returned, trying not to feel nervous. She's stared down Daleks, she just saved the world.

"In the short time you have been here you have been quiet, hardworking and to be frank, nothing more than a wallpaper, but after the bombing you seem to have undergone a change of heart. You have disobeyed orders, meddled with the investigation and worse, you had the temerity to take point in a dangerous first contact with a hostile alien species."

"But I--"

"And, according to Ianto's report you were suspended."

"Yes."

"Tell me, Rose, what do I do with you? You are insubordinate, stubborn. You rope in perfectly good agents to help you with your crusade-- "

There was a shuffle behind her and she saw Ianto enter. So, that's how Bridge played, eh? Gang up on her? A spark of anger and annoyance suddenly burned inside her. "How about a thank you? I think that's a good enough start, isn't it? Because, God forbid I help bring in the real bomber!"

"You were operating beyond the bounds of your work, Miss Tyler," Bridge said, cutting off her tirade. "Why don't you let me do mine?" Rose watched her despondently, there wasn't anything she could do but let the inevitable happen. "By the recommendation of your superior officer and the board's approval you have been reclassified from analyst to field agent."

"Yeah, well--" A blistering insult was working its way past her lips when her brain caught up with her mouth. "What?"

Bridge continued as if she didn't hear Rose. "You are officially authorized to start a special field operations team. You and your team will work under the supervision of Ianto Jones and myself."

"You're kidding me, yeah?" Rose blurted out, but Bridge only raised an eyebrow. "You're serious."

"Very." Bridge tilted her head, "Is that 'thank you' enough?"

&&&&&&&

God, this was pathetic. This wasn't how his life was supposed to go. "Some place we got ourselves into, huh, boss?"

The man in the other cell didn't respond. In fact, from the moment they were transferred from Torchwood's underground cells and into this facility Hinds hadn't so much as twitched an eyebrow. "I was supposed to be in Ibiza, you know that? Ibiza then Bahamas and maybe buy myself a zeppelin. Be one of those Upper folk."

Duran picked at his ugly brown jumpsuit. "I could have been sun bathing now."

"Daydreaming, Mr. Duran?" a voice asked.

He jumped up. He'd never expected to hear that voice again. A small man in a black suit entered with three burly men trailing behind him. "Crane! he said with false bravado. "Took you long enough."

"Apologies," Crane said, "we were detained."

"Yeah, yeah just get me out of here." the cell door opened and Crane entered. Duran moved his chained wrist, "Get on with it!"

Crane didn't move but jerked his head to Hinds. "Who is he?"

"Hinds," Duran said, and sneered, "my 'boss'."

"Ah. I see." Crane nodded to the men behind him, and they moved forward and moments later the handcuffs fell from Duran's wrists.

Duran massaged his wrists. "Damn, it's good to-- we taking him too?" he frowned as Crane proceeded to remove Hinds' cuffs. "You're wasting your time, he's catatonic."

But Hinds wasn't as out of it as Duran had assumed. Hinds stirred as the cuffs fell away. "What are you doing?"

"We've heard a lot about you, Mr. Hinds," Crane said, smiling his creepy smile.

"Him?" Duran said, incredulous. "You've got to be kidding!"

"I don't want to go anywhere," Hinds announced, burrowing himself further into his little corner.

"Then don't," Duran retorted.

"Of course, you'd like to mourn," Crane said, sounding almost respectful. "But wouldn't it be better if you didn't have to?"

Hinds glared at Crane. "What do you mean?"

"We, and I mean my employer, has the means to give your daughter back to you."

"You're lying," Hinds said flatly.

What the hell was going on here? "Look, Crane, we better leave before the guards get here."

Crane ignored him. "Do you really think Torchwood and UNIT are the only organizations that have alien technology?"

"Alien technology can't bring her back," Hinds snarled. Damn, this had to be the first time he'd seen Hinds angry.

"Our technology can, Hinds," Crane said, and there was something about that wheedling tone that got to Duran. Hinds stared at Crane like he's given him the Holy Grail. "We can give you your daughter back."

"What do I need to do in return?"

Crane stretched out his hand. "Just take my hand."

Hinds stared at the hand for a long moment, then took it. Crane pulled Hinds to his feet. "We'll take care of you now, Dr. Hinds." He led Hinds to the other guy. "Take him out, will you, Locke?"

"Yes, sir."

Duran watched the Locke bloke help Hinds out of the cell. "Jesus, what the hell was that, were you just asking him out on a date, Crane?"

Crane didn't turn to look at him. "C'mon, let's get out of here," Duran said.

This caught Crane's attention. "Go where, Mr. Duran?"

"Picadilly," he snapped, then gestured to the general direction of the door. "Out, where else?"

"Interesting you think that."

"What do you mean?" he asked, dread suddenly clawing his heart.

"You failed to give our employer his merchandise. I did say he hated failure."

"What--?" Two soft pops cut him off. He stared at his chest disbelievingly then fell to his knees. "But this wasn't supposed to--" But he never had the chance to complete the thought and he fell into darkness and on a fourth pop he never heard, Duran was no more.

&&&&&&&

Mickey found Rose, predictably, on the Tylers' manicured lawn. She was sitting on a floral blanket and was staring at the night sky, watching the stars. "Thought I'd find you here."

Rose looked up and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," he returned, then settled beside her. They sat in companionable silence for a while until he finally asked: "You going to take the offer?"

"Should be you, y'know," Rose said, tilting her head in his direction. "You've been fighting the Cybermen longer, better at computers."

"You know more about aliens." he pointed out.

"Not by much." Mickey looked at her but she had returned to stargazing.

He looked up. The stars were identical to the ones back home. He could probably find his favourite constellation if he were up to it.

"New ground."

"What?" he asked, startled from his thoughts.

"We're standing, well, sitting on new ground." Rose pulled at the grass. "Different Earth, different universe."

"Yeah," he agreed.

"There's a lot of new life out there, different threats and no Doctor."

Mickey looked at Rose carefully. She hadn't cried since Norway, not that Mickey knew.

"Not all aliens are bent on invading Earth but there are still some aliens who are out to get us for whatever reason. I'm not the Doctor but someone has to be, and I can't do it alone." She looked at him with wide brown eyes. She looked older and Mickey didn't know what he'd attribute it to. "Do you want to help?"

Mickey grinned. "Always."

--End--


End file.
